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General Apirat in tears: Blame me, not Army over mass shooting, but I’m not quitting

General Apirat in tears: Blame me, not Army over mass shooting, but I’m not quitting

The Army chief shed tears during a press conference, apologising for the Korat mass shooting committed by a soldier. He asked people to blame him, not the Army.

General Apirat Kongsompong also said he would not resign in response to critics’ demands that he should be held accountable and quit his post, citing the reason that it was a personal crime of a soldier.

General Apirat in tears: Blame me, not Army over mass shooting, but I’m not quitting
Apirat held the press conference today (February 11) for two hours to apologise for the incident. He broke into tears, and his voice trembled at times during an explanation of the incident.
The Army chief explained that the carnage began at 2pm on February 8. The shooter used his five personal weapons – a 9mm handgun, an 11mm handgun, a Magnam revolver, a rifle, and a shotgun, all legally purchased – to carry out his killings.
At 3pm, the shooter drove his car to the 22nd Armoured Division guardhouse at the Suranaree Army Base and forced the officer on guard to bring him a HK33 assault rifle with 44 bullets. He then drove to the garrison, on the way killing 22-year-old soldier Metha “Bank” Lertsiri, and used his shotgun to break into the storage area to steal another HK33 and M60 machine gun. He subsequently shot at two soldiers on guard nearby, but the injured men were able to report the shooting to their commander.
The loud sound of firing guns drew the attention of soldiers on the base, but the shooter was able to jump into a M51 modified patrol jeep (not a Humvee as previously reported) and drive into the door of a building storing bullets. He then stole bullets for the HK33 rifle and headed out of the Army base. A soldier used his personal car to chase after the patrol jeep.
The Army chief said the reason for the incident was a dispute the mass shooter had with his commander over a broken agreement to do with land purchasing, as well as profit expected by the shooter.
“The moment he shot his commander, he was a murderer, not a solider,” Gen Apirat stated.

General Apirat in tears: Blame me, not Army over mass shooting, but I’m not quitting
The Army chief has vowed to look into the land purchasing issue.
Apirat denied he was “locking the stable door after the horse has bolted”.
On the day of the killings, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha directed Deputy Defence Minister General Chaichan Changmongkol and the Army chief to go to crime scene. Both arrived in Nakhon Ratchasima around 10pm to order the use of force and manage the situation. Three measures were used:
1. The police commander was put in sole command as the incident was a crime. 
2. As the military prepared Task Force 90, the Thai Delta Force, to deal with the situation, the police commander asked the army to support the operation.
3. The Army worked as a support unit, preparing weapons, clearing the area for ambulances, cooperating with both government and private sector businesses, and asking almost 1,000 soldiers to donate blood since many people were injured.

General Apirat in tears: Blame me, not Army over mass shooting, but I’m not quitting
At the press conference, General Apirat praised every police officer for their “hard work and sacrifice”.
“As Army chief, I would like to apologise again for the incident,” he said. “Criticism has been levelled against the Army, which is the security institute. However, I would like everyone to stop insulting the Army or officers. There are many good soldiers who sacrifice their lives working in risky areas or helping people during disasters. I don’t want them to lose morale. Nobody wants such an incident to happen. If you want to insult someone, insult me, Apirat Kongsompong, as their commander,” the Army chief said.

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